New Clearfield varieties could be released soon

Research associates, faculty and summer workers including, at left, Rick Zaunbrecher, walk through a foundation seed field of LA 2065, a potential new release, to eliminate any plants that are “off type” or not uniform. The Kellogg Co. is interested in this medium-grain Clearfield line because of its grain size and shape.

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Two potential new varieties are being considered for the upcoming growing season – a medium-grain Clearfield and a Clearfield version of Jazzman.

Dr. Steve Linscombe, LSU AgCenter rice breeder, said the medium-grain line LA2065 has performed well and has shown better yields and higher quality than the only other Clearfield medium-grain, CL261.

Also unlike CL261, LA2065 has good resistance to the current races of blast disease, Linscombe said. "It looked extremely good in 2012 when we had the blast epidemic," he said.

LA 2065 also has good straighthead resistance and is rated as moderately susceptible to bacterial panicle blight.

Linscombe said the Kellogg Co. has been impressed with samples of LA2065 grain size and shape. "In preliminary testing, it also appears to have the processing characteristics necessary for their needs," Linscombe said.

As for the other potential new release, the Clearfield Jazzman line LA2025 was planted at the Rice Research Station on July 3 after foundation seed was harvested in Puerto Rico.

Linscombe said this line has outyielded Jazzman 1 and Jazzman 2, and it has good aroma and milling quality, with moderate resistance to blast.

Farmers grew 33,000 acres of Jazzman in 2013, Linscombe said, and that acreage is likely to increase with a Clearfield option for Jazzman.

If the releases of LA2065 and LA2025 are approved, the new varieties could be available for seed production only for 2014 and commercial production in 2015.

(This article was published in the 2014 Louisiana Rice Research Board Annual Report.)